1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lever-actuated connector, more particularly to a lever-actuated connector enabling easy forming of a connector body having a slit into which an end of a lever is inserted, and to a method for forming a connector body.
2. Related Art
A lever-actuated connector of the past is illustrated in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, and is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 11-26070. As shown in FIG. 7, this lever-actuated connector is generally constituted by a hood 3 integrally formed with an upper cover 2 of an electrical connection housing 1, a male connector 5 having a connector body 4 that inserts into and fits with the hood 3, and a lever 6 provided on the outside of the connector body 4 of the male connector 5, and which causes the connector body 4 to be inserted into and fitted with the hood 3.
End parts of bus bars (not shown) are housed within the upper cover 2 of the electrical connection housing 1, with male contacts of the end parts protruding within the hood 3. Rib guide grooves 7 are formed so as to protrude on both sides on one end of the hood 3. A pair of cutouts 9 are formed on an outer wall 8 that defines the rib guide grooves 7. Between the rib guide grooves 7 are inserted ribs 10 of the connector body 4, and end parts 12 of lever walls 11 of the lever 6 are inserted into and engaged with the cutouts 9, respectively. The ribs 10 formed on the connector body 4 each have a vertically elongated hole 10A for guiding insertion of the end part 12 of a corresponding one of the lever walls 11.
Guide grooves 13 are formed on the other end of the hood 3, so as to protrude at both sides thereof. The grooves 13 are configured so that guide ribs 14 protruding from the connector body 4 can be inserted. A lever lock part 15 is provided further to the end part than the guide grooves 13. This lever lock part 15 is provided with a pair of guide walls 16 protruding toward the inside of the hood 3, with a locking piece insertion space 17 defined between the guide walls 16. Inside the hood 3, the connector body 4 of the male connector 5 is inserted into and fitted by operation of the lever 6, so that female contacts (not shown) housed within the connector body 4 are thereby connected to the male contacts protruding within the hood 3.
The male connector 5 has a plurality of contact housing chambers within the connector body 4, these contact housing chambers individually housing the female contacts. A mating male contact is inserted from one end of a corresponding contact housing chamber, and an electric wire W terminated at its end on an associated female contact is lead away from the other end of the contact housing chamber.
The connector body 4 has a pair of bosses 18 protruding from central regions of both side surfaces thereof. The bosses 18 are each inserted into a pivot hole 11A that is formed at the center of a corresponding one of the lever walls 11 of the lever 6. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the condition in which the lever 6 is pivotally supported by the connector body 4.
In the molding of the connector body 4 of the male connector 5, the elongated holes 10A to be formed in the ribs 10 are molded by using dies to be removed in a direction, which is different from the direction of removal of other dies used for molding an associated part of the lever-actuated connector. FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing removal directions of dies used for molding the ribs 10 of the connector body 4. As shown in the figure, the conventional lever-actuated connector needs a laterally slidable die 19A to form each elongated hole 10A, while other parts of the connector body 4 are molded by vertically removable dies 19X1 and 19X2. Thus, sliding dies are necessary for the elongated holes 10A to be formed at both sides, and an entire die configuration is complicated, with increased costs in die production and molding operation.
Further, the connector body 4 to be inserted and fitted into the hood 3 readily tilts within the hood 3, causing an interference with the hood 3, as the lever 6 is operated, resulting in a failure for the connector body 4 to be smoothly inserted and fitted.
The present invention is made with such points in view. It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide a lever-actuated connector and a method for forming or molding a connector body, which simplify and reduce the cost of dies to be used for forming the connector, and which enable smooth insertion and fitting together of connectors.
To achieve the object described, an aspect of the present invention provides a lever-actuated connector comprising a first connector housing formed with a guide groove, a lever member engageable at an end part thereof with the first connector housing, and a second connector housing providing a pivot for the lever member to be rotated thereabout to fit the second connector housing to the first connector housing, the second connector housing being provided with a rib to be guided by the guide groove, the rib being molded with a first hole elongated in a first direction for the lever member to be slid therealong when rotated and a second hole communicating with the first hole and extending in the first direction for removal of a die element to be removed from the first hole.
Further, to achieve the object, another aspect of the present invention provides a molding method for a lever-actuated connector including a first connector housing formed with a guide groove, a lever member engageable at an end part thereof with the first connector housing, and a second connector housing providing a pivot for the lever member to be rotated thereabout to fit the second connector housing to the first connector housing, the second connector housing being provided with a rib to be guided by the guide groove, the rib being formed with a first hole elongated in a first direction for the lever member to be slid therealong when rotated, the molding method comprising molding the rib using a die element forming the first hole and a second hole connected to the first hole and extending in the first direction, and removing the die element through the second hole.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a lever-actuated connector in which a lever pivoted on a side surface of a connector body is rotated, thereby inserting and fitting the connector body into a mating connector, wherein the side surface of the connector body has at one end part thereof an upwardly and downwardly extending rib outwardly protruding therefrom, with a lever-insertion slit formed therein for an end of the lever to be swingably inserted thereinto, the lever-insertion slit being defined between mutually opposing walls, and wherein the mutually opposing walls are interconnected by an upper rib linking part and a lower rib linking part, the upper rib linking part being larger than the lower rib linking part, and a die-removal opening is formed in an upper end surface of the upper rib linking part, communicating with the lever insertion slit.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for forming a connector body of a lever-actuated connector in which a lever is pivoted on a side surface of the connector body, the side surface of the connector body has at one end part thereof an upwardly and downwardly extending rib outwardly protruding therefrom, with a lever-insertion slit formed therein for an end of the lever to be swingably inserted thereinto, the lever-insertion slit being defined between mutually opposing walls, and the lever is rotated to insert and fit the connector body into a mating connector, wherein the method comprises assembling upper and lower dies to be mutually aligned for an entirety of the connector body to be thereby enclosed, with a bar-shaped slit-forming die part of the upper die disposed, in a space for the lever-insertion slit to be defined therein, to extend through an upper rib linking part interconnecting the mutually opposing walls, filling a synthetic resin into a cavity defined between the dies, upwardly removing the upper die with the slit-forming die part, and downwardly removing the lower die.